Memory Box
by Neko Mastermind
Summary: *Post Jinchuu* Kaoru looks through the chest in her room, and looks over her memories.


**Rurouni Kenshin**

**_Memory Box_**

_A Reflection Story_

By: C-Chan

Disclaimer: Last time I checked my room…I only owned the DVDs.  So, that means I can't own the rights.  Questions?  Ask Watsuki-sama.  ^^

A/N: I have finally seen the entire series…and it was bloody brilliant.  The OVAs were a bit…depressing.  Correction: Overly depressing.  Hell, I cried at the end!  But I'm just a sentimental fool.  So, I felt a little reflection was needed.  I wanna warn you all right now: The OVAs twisted everything I learned and left my brain a pile of confused mush.  If anything doesn't sound right, it's because I'm still recovering.  This takes place after Enishi, by about a month or so, and because I wanna stay true to certain things, everyone's gone.  Sanosuke's traveling the world, Megumi's in Aizu, and Yahiko's staying in Sanosuke's little apartment thing at the Ruffian Row…So yeah.  I hope you enjoy this.  ^^ Arrigatou, Ja ne, and Review, onegai!

            As Summer turned into Autumn, the once green trees began their change into beautiful ambers and reds, and were soon decorating the dirt roads.  Birds could be seen in their 'V' formation, heading somewhere warmer for the winter.  In town, signs that once advertised for Summer delicacies were being taken down, only to be replaced by similar signs stating special dishes only made in the Fall.  

            As for other things, a lot didn't change.  People still left their houses early in the morning to head down to the market to begin shopping for that night's meal, and the local Yakuza and gangsters sauntered into their respective bars and hangouts, and still pretty much terrorized whatever poor soul happened to cross their path.  The famous restaurant, The Akabeko, was as busy as ever, and business was running smoothly, thanks to a new employee—who, on off days was the acting Tokyo Samurai Myoujin Yahiko.

            But one huge difference was the lack of noise coming from a certain Kenjutsu dojo in one of Tokyo's prefectures.  Despite the few bouts neighbors heard between student and sensei or the laughing of two children as they played with the kind-hearted red-haired rurouni, everything was relatively quiet.  The rooster-haired man that always came to visit was mysteriously absent, and the onna-sensei, who had gained the respect of her patients, had picked up her bags and moved home to Aizu.

            Himura Kenshin quietly did the laundry, his silence due to the absence of his two favorite little helpers, Ayame and Suzume.  The girls had gone with Genzai-sensei to a neighboring town to visit an old friend, and weren't due to return until next week.  Kenshin sighed and grabbed another garment to wash, then submerged it into the soapy water.  Though the rurouni loved peace and quiet at times, it was too quiet without his friends.  He missed Sanosuke's verbal brawls with Megumi.  He missed Yahiko and Sanosuke wrestling each other for one of many offensive comments.  Sometimes, he even missed Megumi hanging all over him, claiming that he was much better off with her then a tanuki-girl like his Kaoru-dono.

            Risking a glance over his shoulder, he found the raven-haired shihondai sitting behind him on the porch, gazing out into the sky.  He often found her like that, either just admiring the beauty or lost in thought.  Sometimes he would even join her, glad to know he could spend moments like this alone with her.  But she missed everyone too.  He remembered how excited she had gotten when Megumi's first letter arrived.  She nearly knocked him down when she came running in the gates.

           Kaoru…with all the quietness, his mind often drifted to her.  Her raven locks, her ocean blue eyes, her youthful smile, everything was imprinted on his mind.  His love for her grew more and more with each passing day, leading up to the one day he was ready to express those feelings, if he could ever get over the guilt eating his heart.  

            For ten years he atoned for his sins.  To anyone else it would have been enough, but to him, he would atone the rest of his life, never allowing the guilt to rise from his shoulders until **he felt it should.  And that's why his love for Kaoru was never expressed.**

            _I'm too stained for her innocent.  My hands are forever covered in the blood of those I murdered.  Was what he constantly told himself whenever he got an ounce of courage to come out with his secret.  So instead, he sat on his stool in front of the laundry basin, scrubbing away at the dirty laundry, and at the same time, scrubbing at the blood still lingering on his hands, hoping one day it would all wash away._

            As for his love, Kamiya Kaoru couldn't stand it anymore.  She'd loved Kenshin for gods know how long, and the way he treated her with the utmost respect was nerve-wracking.  Her rurouni was smart, way beyond his 28 years of life, but he was sure dense.  She couldn't remember how many times she'd try to express her feelings discretely, or tried to dress up and show him she could be a woman, and not a sweaty raccoon-tomboy.  But each time, he gave his trademark 'Oro?' and changed the subject.

            _He doesn't love me…he's still mourning for Tomoe-san.  And besides, how could he love a tanuki like me?  I'm ten years younger, I can't cook, and I'm terrible at all that woman stuff.  I'd make a terrible wife.  She thought as she watched the rurouni scrub away at one of her kimonos.  With a sigh, she rose to her feet and headed down the hallway to her room.  With all the silence, she needed to find something to occupy herself with, or she'd go insane._

            She entered the room and left the shouji open, allowing the gentle Autumn breeze blow through her room.  She knelt in front of the old oak chest that was against the far wall, opening it slowly.  With a careful glance over her shoulder she removed the objects she'd been searching for and shut the chest, then moved over to her futon to make herself more comfortable.

            The first item she had was a small rag-doll, given to her when she turned three years old by her late mother.  She hugged the toy tightly before smiling and placing in her lap, moving on to the next item.  The hilt of a bokken;  it was from one of the first times she ever sat and watched her father spar with someone who was almost as good as him.  

            His best and brightest student had shown up one day, asking to spar with his sensei.  The match only lasted a good five minutes, ending when Kamiya-sensei broke the bokken against his student's when he blocked.  Kaoru had hurriedly swiped the broken wooden sword and ran to her room, where she placed it in that very chest.

            Now what compelled her to save a piece of wood was anybody's guess.  Perhaps it was that one day she decided she wanted to learn Kamiya Kaashin Ryu.  Perhaps it was to keepsake from the first match she'd ever watched her father in.  Or perhaps it was a little girl's desire to keep something of her daddy's that she knew meant a lot to both him and his student.  The possibilities could go on and on.

            The last item was a small, leather-bound journal.  With a sheepish smile she picked up the book and began flipping through the pages, laughing at funny passages, and frowning at painful memories.  She had started keeping it when Kenshin had arrived.  In fact, she woke up the day after being saved from Gohei with the impulse to write it down.  So she did.

            And she wrote about the day she met Yahiko.  And Sanosuke.  And the battle with Jinei.  And the first time she ever saw Megumi.  And the Oniwabanshuu of Edo Castle and Kanryu.  The day Yahiko took the Sakabatou.  Shura and the Pirates.  Kyoto.  She must have written about almost every important event in her life.

            But the first entry stuck out.  She had written it while watching Kenshin doing laundry.  She read over the quickly scribbled paragraph and giggled.  How immature she was!  All she wrote about in that entry was his strength and how kind he was, and how he beat Gohei within five minutes.  With a sigh she leaned back, trying to remember the day she met her fire-haired rurouni….

_            It was a cook spring night.  Kaoru stalked from alleyway to alleyway, in search of the one man staining her family's name: Hitokiri Battousai._

_            Slow footsteps caught her attention, and she quickly chased after them.  She slid to a stop behind the owner, and bravely shouted, "Wait!"_

_            The owner stopped, but didn't turn his head.  She tried again.  "Wait, Hitokiri Battousai!"_

_            Finally, her prey turned around to gaze at her with wide, violet eyes filled with confusion.  Kaoru held her bokken out in one hand, her stance not wavering.  "I finally found you!"_

_"You're much weaker-looking than I expected, Hitokiri Battousai!" She continued with a shake of her head, grasping her bokken with both hands._

_            She was a bit surprised when the stranger's eyes bulged out of his head, and strangled sound came out of his mouth; it sounded something like "Oro?!"_

_            She wasted no time in attacking, charging forward at top speed.  "Prepare yourself!"_

_            The man watched her with the same confused-filled eyes until she came within inches of him and jumped out of the way as her bokken swung down.  Kaoru stumbled to a stop and turned around to watch the man make his descent—right through the wooden roof of one of the outdoor markets and into a lovely pile of wooden barrels._

_            Kaoru winced at the crash, and then her own eyes were filled with confusion.  This was Battousai?  Once again that "Oro!" sound came from his mouth a few times, as he laid there, covered in broken wood and dust.  She blinked and took a few steps forward to bend down in front of him.  "Are you really the legendary Hitokiri?"_

_"I heard you slew three more people last night." She said with a bit of anger._

_"Rurouni."__ Was the man's answer._

_            He shook a bucket off his head and looked up at her with a smile.  "I'm a rurouni.  Merely a wandering swordsman, de gozaru yo."_

_            He reached to his side and pulled out his sword, holding it out to Kaoru so she could draw it.  "Do you think I could slay someone with this, de gozaru ka?"_

_            Kaoru stared at the hilt for a minute before drawing it, standing back up.  She was shocked to find the sword's blade was on the wrong end.  "What is this?  The blade's on the wrong side!"_

_"Sakabatou, de gozaru." The rurouni replied._

_"Sakabatou?" The raven-haired girl repeated._

_"It cannot slay anyone.  And no evidence of it either, de gozaro?" The rurouni continued, standing up and dusting some of the dirt from his hakama._

_            Kaoru examined both sides of the blade, curiosity filling her mind.  Why would someone carry this around instead of a real sword?  "True, there isn't a single chip on it.  It looks as good as new!" She held out the blade, allowing it reflect in the moon's light._

_            The rurouni fixed his gi and gave her another one of his friendly smiles.  "I've proven my innocence, de gozaru na?" _

            Kaoru giggled again.  To think she had actually found the REAL Battousai that night.  Irony comes in many forms, so they say.  Now that she reflected, she had been a bit cruel to him, by sticking his sword in his face and nearly cutting his nose off, then running off and tossing the sword at him.  Now that she remembered, she didn't hear the sword hit the ground…

            Oh well.  _I wonder if Kenshin remembers that day.  She asked herself.  Perhaps he did…it was the first time he ever saw his future home.  A sigh escaped her lips and she closed to book.  Though it had happy memories, she didn't want to read the bad ones.  Kyoto and Enishi still brought pain to her heart.  After returning from his island, Kaoru wrote her last entry, and then closed the book for good.  Without her friends around, there wasn't really anything interesting to write about._

            Sighing, she reluctantly opened to the last entry and began to read, wanting to remember her last thoughts on her departed friends.

            Kenshin smiled as he hung up the last laundry, then stepped back to admire his work.  Slowly he untied the knot and removed the strip of cloth that was holding his sleeves back and then tucked it into his gi.  "Kaoru-dono, would you like me to start dinner?" He asked, turning around.

            He blinked.  Kaoru wasn't sitting behind him anymore.  _I wonder where she went. He thought, removing his sandals and stepping up on the porch.  He walked down until he stood right before her room.  Slowly, he peeked his head around the doorframe and peered in._

            His Kaoru-dono was seated in the middle of her futon, reading a book.  He smiled and leaned his back against the door frame.  Ever since the whole Jinchuu incident he'd been very protective of his Kaoru-dono.  He knew where she was at all times, and if he didn't, he made sure he found out.

            He never wanted to lose her again.  Losing her had been too much for his mind to handle, which is why he ended up at Rakunnimura.  And he would have stayed there too.

            Sniffle.  Kenshin's eyebrows raised and he looked into the room again.  Kaoru had dropped the book and was no crying into her hands.  Kenshin frowned and stepped into the room.  "Kaoru-dono?  Daijoubu, de gozaru ka?"

            Kaoru looked up from her hands just as Kenshin sat down next to her.  A shaky sigh escaped her lips and she nodded.  "Mmm, I'm fine."

"What made you cry?" The rurouni asked gently.

            Kaoru sighed and picked up the book, hugging it close to her.  "I was just reading something I wrote."

            Kenshin examined the book in her hands, then smiled.  "You keep a diary?"

"Hai, I started it after you arrived." Kaoru replied, returning the smile.

            _When I arrived?  Kenshin blinked.  "When Sessha arrived?"_

"I woke up the next morning and wanted to write it down.  Then after we met Yahiko and Sanosuke, I just kept writing about everything." Kaoru explained, pulling to book away to look at it.  

"I wrote up until…we came back from Enishi's island."

            _Now I think I know why she was crying. The rurouni thought, noticing the tears forming at her eyes._

"I miss everyone, Kenshin!" Kaoru suddenly exclaimed, allowing the tears to fall.

            Kenshin nodded and placed a hand on her lap.  Kaoru looked down at his hand, then up at his face.  The rurouni had a frown on his face, and she knew he felt the same.  The family he had promised to protect was now gone.  The shihondai placed her hand over his and squeezed it gently.

            Though Kenshin hid it, he was just as upset.  At night he would sit up, wondering if his friends were safe.  Sometimes he was even tempted to just walk down the Ruffian Row House and see if Yahiko was alright.  And when that first letter came from Megumi, he was relieved to know she was fine.  He wasn't as worried about Sanosuke because the young man could handle himself, but he was still worried nonetheless.

            Kenshin pulled Kaoru into a hug as she began to cry harder.  Kaoru was a bit surprised by his actions, but wasn't about to argue.  He was hugging her; for once he was putting down the barrier to touch her.  Kaoru wrapped her arms around his waist and hugged him back.  "Kenshin, promise me you won't go away too.  Everyone else left…please don't leave me alone."

            Kenshin leaned his scarred cheek on her head, hugging her tighter.  Did she really think he'd leave again?  Even if he was forced to, the rurouni doubted he would be able to.  "I promise, Kaoru.  I'll never leave you."

            _No –dono?__  Kaoru gasped, looking up at him.  Kenshin gazed into her eyes and smiled.  Before she knew what was happening, the two were leaning towards each other, and their lips touched.  It was feather-light and innocent, the two just testing the waters.  They pulled away and looked at each other._

"Aishiteru, Kaoru." Kenshin said, then rested his head on hers again.

            Kaoru smiled and snuggled against him.  "Aishiteru, Kenshin."

A/N: Whew…now that's out of my system, I can rest happy.  I know the ending is kinda gay, but I couldn't figure out how to end it!  And it really didn't go the way I wanted…grrrr.  Anyway, please make your flames quick, for I left my flame-resistant ninja outfit at the cleaners.  Thanks, and see ya next time!


End file.
